


A Quiet Mission

by scarromanoff



Category: Motherland: Fort Salem (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Feels, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Introspection, Light Angst, Mainly Raylla centric, Pain, Raelle needed motivation, Raelle taking care of her girl, Soft Raelle Collar, Soft Scylla Ramshorn, a bit of Anacostia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:47:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27304369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scarromanoff/pseuds/scarromanoff
Summary: Raelle shifted in her seat, trying to get comfortable as she attempted to keep the thoughts whirling through her head at bay. The barely functioning, hospital-provided chair had definitely seen better days, but it was still better than what lay in front of her.On the standard issue bed, tucked away in the furthest corner of the medical wing, lay the bruised and battered form of Scylla Ramshorn, still unconscious and showing no signs of waking up anytime soon. The fixers had done as much as they could for the girl, but they couldn’t take it all, and so Scylla was left to heal the rest naturally, on her own. Raelle hadn’t left her side the entire time, and she wasn’t planning on doing so anytime soon.
Relationships: Raelle Collar/Scylla Ramshorn
Comments: 24
Kudos: 137





	A Quiet Mission

**Author's Note:**

> This is literally entitled "AKA Scylla Getting the Shit Beat Out of Her Because I'm a Glutton For Punishment and Raelle Needed Motivation" on my computer, I'm warning you now.
> 
> Okay, jokes aside, this is a fun moment for me. I haven't written anything in nearly two years, but this show is just so incredibly inspiring, as we all know. That being said, it's been a while, so please be gentle with me in the comments. I'm just getting back into this, so it might be a bit rough, but I'm rather proud of it, so yeah.
> 
> Samhain is a time to remember the past and look towards the future with hope, and I like to think this captures that energy.
> 
> As in most work, italics signify flashbacks. Breaks within the italics change character focus, but I tried not to have that too much, they just ended up popping in as I wrote.
> 
> Thank you for taking the time to stop by my fic, I hope you and enjoy!
> 
> (Also, this was inspired by [this instagram post](https://www.instagram.com/p/CEKpf28F-wl/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link), so if you want to see the image, there you go. (Yes, I know it's not them, but it's still a vibe and my mind ran with it.))

Raelle shifted in her seat, trying to get comfortable as she attempted to keep the thoughts whirling through her head at bay. The barely functioning, hospital-provided chair had definitely seen better days, but it was still better than what lay in front of her. 

On the standard issue bed, tucked away in the furthest corner of the medical wing, lay the bruised and battered form of Scylla Ramshorn, still unconscious and showing no signs of waking up anytime soon. The fixers had done as much as they could for the girl, but they couldn’t take it all, and so Scylla was left to heal the rest naturally, on her own. Raelle hadn’t left her side the entire time, and she wasn’t planning on doing so anytime soon. 

She couldn’t explain why she was there, she should still hate her, hell, she thought she did, but there was just something about seeing the brunette on a battlefield, inches from death with a mountain of a Camarilla soldier hovering above her ready to end it all that had Raelle jumping into action. Nothing like imminent doom to change your opinions on someone. 

_It was supposed to be a quiet mission._

_It was a small house in the middle of nowhere, ideal for the Camarilla to plan and test their newly developed weapons, which was what they were searching for. Situated on the edge of the forest, they were surrounded on three sides by fields, on the other by dense forest.They’d gathered intelligence saying that the house was empty, that it had been abandoned ages ago by the Camarilla, and now they were sending in a mixed group of necros, both army and Spree, to scout out the place and see if they could find any remnants of the terrorists that had been there before them._

_There shouldn’t have been anyone there, it was meant to be abandoned, and yet, the second they were all inside searching for any hint of intelligence to bring back to base, they were trapped, an obviously well planned ambush, and with nothing but a couple of fresh faced privates to defend the small group of necros inside, it was sure to be a fast fight._

_Except it wasn’t. They fought tooth and nail, almost seeming like an equal force in the chaos of the battle despite their lack of preparation and, in the case of the necros that made up the majority of the group, their lack of training._

_At least in the beginning that is._

_As the scuffle continued, the Camarilla fighters slowly began to gain the upperhand, the element of surprise still firmly in their grasp, as well as their superior training. The small group of necros and traditional privates just wasn’t a match, no matter how long they held on. No matter how hard they fought back, the Camarilla just kept coming._

_Every time one dropped, another came in to fill their place, and that’s how Scylla found herself in her current predicament._

_She was definitely one of the more skilled of the group, having been in more hand-to-hand situations than most of the army necros, and having more army hand-to-hand training than any of the Spree necros. But she was still small, the smallest in their group if she had the time on her hands to think about it, and no matter how hard she fought, no matter how many of the Camarilla she managed to take down by sheer luck or skill, they just._

_Wouldn’t._

_Stop._

_And so, as she took down a fourth, a wily young woman who matched her in stature, and heard the unmistakably heavy sound of a man’s footfall, she turned, eyes widening at the sight of an absolute mountain of a Camarilla soldier standing in front of her, sporting a terrifyingly menacing grin on his face and a unfortunately familiar black box around his neck._

_Shit._

Raelle gave up on trying to make herself comfortable after several minutes of shifting to no avail, choosing instead to let her eyes finally settle on the broken woman in front of her.

Goddess, she was beautiful. Even with bruises littering her face and body, pale and thin from a lack of proper nutrition and sleep due to the constant movement that was expected of everyone in this war, with members of the Spree being pushed to an entirely different level in comparison to their military counterparts, it was an undeniable fact. Raelle smiled slightly - barely an uptick at the corner of her mouth really - at the thought. She had always been a siren, even with her eyes hidden beneath their covers.

Even with all of the thoughts whirling through her head telling her not to trust her, that she should leave while she still could, she couldn’t help but still be drawn to the older girl, some part of her still madly in love with the other woman. As much as she might try to deny it, try to push it away and ignore it, she knew that part of her would always be there, would never leave her. 

What can she say, she’s loyal to a fault. 

And even further down, though she would never willingly admit it, she knew that Scylla felt the same, would remain by her side at the slightest sign that Raelle wanted her, that Raelle would let her. It was that fact that made everything that much harder.

She reached tentatively for the hand laying on top of the sheets closest to her, hesitating as she considered whether or not she really wanted to do this. 

Carefully, she slipped her hand into the pale, limp one in front of her, grasping it tightly as she took in a shuddering breath.

_They were running interference in a small town on the edge of the forest, unsure of what for, but ultimately knowing that it would be more effort than it was worth to push for answers. That’s how it had been as of late. The army’s arrangement with the Spree had led to increased secrecy in pretty much everything, even, no, especially, on missions, and half the time they were deployed with only partial ideas of what exactly they were meant to be doing, let alone the why behind their actions or where they were sent._

_Milling about the streets, keeping people away from the forest and the nearby area, and occasional conversation with civilians occupied the time of the small force of witches, the Bellweather Unit included._

_The three witches had been getting on well in War College, keeping their grades up for Abigail’s sake, a fact that Raelle would be loath to admit, and their heads down, doing their best to keep out of Alder’s sight and off of her radar, at least as much as possible. After months of testing and research, they still weren’t entirely positive about what exactly the witch bomb was, let alone what caused it, and neither Abigail nor Raelle were particularly keen to be thrown into Alder’s war as a human bomb, especially one who didn’t know how to activate or control it._

_There had been tears when the third member of their little family had been returned - something that Tally was kind enough not to point out - and they had returned to their regular operating routine quickly enough, the few stumbles along the way quickly corrected as they helped each other along. Even Anacostia had shown the slightest hint of emotion for them to see when she had opened the door and stepped aside to reveal the redheaded imp, who promptly rushed forward into the open arms of her sisters._

_It was good to see her favourite, or at least most of her favourite, privates happy again, though she would never tell the fourth member of her position in her heart. The girl was insufferable enough already, no need to give her any more reason to believe she liked her. Though seeing how she was when she thought no one was looking, Anacostia considered throwing her a bone._

_Raelle had been herding a young couple out of the street and back to the shops lining the road when she heard her name being called and turned to see Tally looking off into the distance and Abigail waving her over. A questioning glance brought Tally’s attention back to her and the fear in her eyes indicated to Raelle what the issue was before it even left the knower’s mouth._

_‘It’s Scylla.’_

Raelle leaned forward, lifting up Scylla’s hand just enough to be able to press her forehead to the back of it before bringing it down to her lips, holding it there as she drank in the sight of the girl before her.

She was everything. Goddess, Raelle didn’t know what she would do if she lost her, if Scylla didn’t make it out of this, and the fear that the mere idea brought her had her shaking imperceptibly, tears forming in the corners of her eyes as she contemplated the idea of a life without the dark haired girl in it.

It had been hard enough staying away for the past few months, doing her best, and succeeding, at avoiding the necro as much as possible, but to now be facing the prospect of forever without her girl, of never holding her, of never seeing her smile or hearing her laugh, that was pure torture. 

Raelle was still in love with her, she was starting to realise that that would always be true, and she was starting to think that she was ready to accept that again, albeit after lots of talking and plenty of explanations. Her anger, that fire that burned in her chest, was starting to die out - though it would be worth mentioning that it had been rapidly cooling for a while. Now all she needed was her siren to open her eyes and smile that soft smile that never failed to make Raelle’s heart melt. 

All she needed was her girl back. Safe, and alive, and awake, and, eventually, in her arms.

_The panic that gripped her at the prospect of Scylla being in danger was something she definitely didn’t have the time to process right now as she sprang into action, running to the commanding officer on the op with her unit on her heels._

_One look at the unit told the woman all she needed, Tally’s rushed explanation supplementing information that she quickly fed to Anacostia through a link, receiving orders to support immediately after._

_As the units sent to the town were gathered, a nervous energy thrummed through Raelle, acknowledged by her sisters through steady hands on her shoulders, which she returned with a small nod. The thought of something happening to Scylla was too much for her, and the idea that she was even in the field at all set her on edge. At least now they knew what the purpose of their mission had been: they had been keeping the area clear so that a small group of necros could risk their lives in an attempt to hopefully gather enough intelligence to give them an upper hand in this war. And they had failed, because now that same group was being decimated._

_Raelle couldn’t stop the feeling burning through her veins that if she didn’t get there soon, the girl she was still very much so in love with would end up being another statistic in this war. That was something that Raelle would never allow to happen, not if she had any say in it. And she was going to have a say in it this time, may the goddess help her. She was going to keep her girl alive._

_The witch in charge turned to them, handing out orders quickly and efficiently, and they were off._

_Raelle couldn’t help but think that they were going to be too late._

She was starting to imagine things, flashes of movement out of the corner of her eye. A twitch of an eyebrow. The tightening of fingers carefully wrapped in her own. A quiet groan of pain or discomfort. Anything that would indicate that Scylla was waking up, that she was in the land of the living. Anything other than the perfect stillness, barely disturbed by the shallow rise and fall of her chest, that had characterised the sleeping woman for goddess knows how long. Anything to prove to Raelle that she hadn’t been too late.

She needed to be closer to her, to feel her beyond just the cold, limp hand clutched by her own. Something to remind her that Scylla was still there, that she was alive, that she wasn’t just a figment of Raelle’s imagination, like all of the signs she thought she saw indicating any semblance of consciousness. 

She needed something.

All she wanted to do was to climb into the small bed and burrow under the covers next to her, to gather her in her arms and hold her close and whisper promises into her hair. She wanted to keep her safe and murmur endless “It’s alright”s and “I’ve got you”s and “I love you”s until the brunette returned to her. Raelle just wanted Scylla back, her Scylla, the girl she could never stop loving as much as she tried to. She wanted her safe and warm and protected. Goddess damn the rest of the world, as long as her girl was here, alive and awake in her arms, Raelle would be happy.

But they weren’t who they used to be. They weren’t that person to each other anymore, at least not really, and much as Raelle might have wanted to, she couldn’t cross that line. Not at the risk of making things worse between them. Not when Scylla could wake up at any moment and things could get weird. Not when she would have to think through and truly consider why she was doing this, why she was keeping herself away and avoiding the unconscious girl when everything in her was screaming to run to her, hold her, and never let her go.

So she did the next best thing.

Raelle swung her legs up into the chair, already pressed up against the side of the bed as closely as possible, replacing the upper half of her body as she laid down on the bed, her head coming to rest on Scylla’s legs. With her own legs sprawled across the top of the chair and her head conveniently cushioned by thighs she once worshipped, Raelle carefully watched peaceful features where they were elevated enough to support her broken frame and ensure the quickest recovery, something the Fixers had contemplated and Raelle had insisted on.

Scylla’s cold hand was still firmly in her grasp, Raelle’s fingers toying with their soft, still counterparts as she debated with herself, eyes drifting shut.

_Her tiny frame shook as hit after hit landed, forcing her back in a futile attempt to escape the flurry of blows coming from the massive man attacking her. She shook her head, trying to string together the thoughts whirling through her mind into anything resembling coherency long enough to formulate some sort of plan, and her eyes darted around her, trying to find an escape._

_Her arms moved up of their own accord in an attempt to block the onslaught of pain coming at her full force as a quiet voice whispered instructions and combinations in the back of her head. Her knife had been knocked out of her hand early on in the fight, and her body was doing its best to fight back on its own, but a poor execution of what might have ended this if executed properly by someone on fair and equal footing was all that came out. Goddess, she should have paid more attention to her._

_A particularly hard punch made it through her weakened defenses, landing hard on her cheek, and her teeth rattled as her head snapped to the side and she went down hard. He was on top of her in an instant, grabbing at the front of her shirt and pulling her upright, towards him, before slamming her against the door that she had been so close to reaching. She wheezed, definitely feeling something crack at the impact. A cruel, manic smile spread over his features as he stared her down, a predator right before devouring its prey._

_It was over. The one clear thought she had, and it was defeat. Perfect._

_She felt him pulling her forward before she was thrown back again, the door giving way and landing her outside on her back on top of the splintered wood, groaning in pain. She was definitely more than a bit broken now. If she was being honest with herself, she wasn’t sure she could move if she had the chance. Not that she did, considering the fact that he was on top of her once more, the front of her shirt, no doubt covered in blood, fisted in his grasp as he pulled her up off the ground slightly, closer to his face and that damned black box._

_Her vision was blurry, darkening at the edges and she knew that this was the end. This was where she was going to die._

_A blow to the face and she felt the sickening crack as her nose gave way. If she hadn’t been covered in blood before, she definitely was now. The only thing keeping her from crumpling back to the ground entirely was his grip on the front of her shirt still, keeping her within his grasp, holding her so that she couldn’t get away, so that he could have his fun before killing her off entirely, like he wanted to with every last one of her kind, like he wanted to with Raelle._

_Raelle._

_Blonde hair and a charming grin flashed through her mind as punch after punch landed. Her body was shutting down on itself, leaving her completely limp and at his mercy as he continued his attack._

_Eyes like salva flew across her mind, fleeting, leaving just as soon as they came no matter how hard she tried to hold onto the thought._

_She was going to die here, without her love, the girl who still hated every fibre of her being. If she had the energy, she would cry at the thought, break down completely as she had so many times before. All she wanted in that moment was to be able to say goodbye, to tell her that she loved her one last time, even if she never felt the same again. Just to have the chance to remind her that she was there, that she always would be._

_Her back hitting the ground drew her focus back to the matter at hand as the air was forced out of her lungs and blood sprayed from her broken form. Several kicks landed on her ribs and side, pulling weak cries from her lips as she tried to pull air back into her body, before she was lifted and slammed into the ground again. She watched as he drew the knife from its sheath on his belt - finally, she thought - and brandished it above her, making to finally end her, to put her out of her misery._

_She clung to her last thoughts of Raelle, the final glimpses of the girl she would give everything for, had given everything for really, she had been gifted by her mind. Kind blue eyes and open arms calling to her, beckoning her closer, drawing her towards the warmth and love she craved, the love she used to wake up wrapped in. She couldn’t help the smile that crossed her features at the thought, and if she had been more lucid, she might have been proud of herself for the lack of fear shown in the face of their oldest enemy. The darkness at the edges of her vision creeped in closer as he drew back for the final blow._

Everything hurt and she didn’t have the energy to try to fix it, too busy attempting to gather herself and make sense of her surroundings, which would be quite a bit easier if she had the energy to move or even open her eyes, to do anything beyond exist in this all-consuming agony. 

She couldn’t see, couldn’t hear, couldn’t really do much of anything, to be honest. It was as though she were in some sort of limbo, in between unconsciousness and the waking world, between life and death, unable to do much beyond exist and try not to cry out in discomfort.

The only thing she was really sure of, beyond that she was in immense pain and it hurt to even breathe, was that there was something across the lower half of her body and a familiar weight resting in her hand. What that was, she couldn’t be sure, what with all of the pain and confusion occupying most of her thoughts and her memory doing little to help her out, but it was there, and it was comforting, and it brought her peace, and that was enough for her to appreciate it.

She continued to focus on the familiar warmth, doing her best to catalogue it and determine what it could be, but she wasn’t even entirely sure who she was at the moment, let alone who or what anything else was, so instead she simply felt it, let it fill her mind, her soul, her entire being with its presence as she shut out the rest of the world, keeping her sole focus on the comforting weight and its warmth, and willing her body to return its presence with her own strength.

_It had taken them forever to get there, or at least it had felt like ages to Raelle, who sat impatiently jogging her leg in the helicopter the entire not even ten minute flight, her eyes locked on the window as she urged them to fly faster. There was no point in trying to surprise them, they had neither the time nor the resources, and they opted instead to fly right up to the area for a drop that wouldn’t even need salva. Anacostia was meant to arrive just barely after with a group of fixers for the undoubtedly injured, ambushed group._

_The commanding officer on the op relayed Anacostia’s orders: to save the group at all costs necessary, though it was better if they were able to keep the Camarilla alive in order to gather more intel from._

_Raelle doubted any would remain alive if they stood between her and Scylla._

_Their past didn’t matter much to her when the other girl was in danger, all thoughts and feelings of betrayal leaving in favour of worry and fear, an unsettling pit in her stomach that consumed her, slowly transforming that betrayal into rage._

_If they had hurt her…_

_She stiffened, rolling her shoulders back as the house came into view and the choppers dropped closer to the ground, doors opening and ropes being tossed out as they prepared to descend into battle._

_Raelle felt her blood thrumming in her veins as she took a few breaths and Tally reached over, laying a hand on her knee and squeezing. When Raelle looked up, Tally nodded, an understanding look in her eye, mirrored by Abigail on her other side. Raelle returned the gesture, not trusting herself to say anything before following her sisters out and onto the ground, racing toward the house and the sounds of battle coming from inside, not even bothering to register the screeching sounds of the voice inhibitors as she unwound her scourge._

_She burst through the front door after Abigail and immediately shot to the right where a soldier had been pinned to the wall by one of the Camarilla, a nasty looking gash across her temple and a scythe pressed against her neck. A quick flick had her scourge wrapped around his arm, and another had him flying into the wall, sliding to the ground unconscious as the soldier dropped to her knees, sucking in air._

_Raelle continued on, the slightest element of surprise now gone. She’d have time to heal the witches later. For now, she had a Spree agent to find._

_A quick glance to her left saw two more Camarilla fighters on the ground, similarly unconscious, with the black boxes around their necks destroyed, slightly dampening the debilitating seed sound._

_She was just moving forward when she caught movement in the corner of her eye and ducked just in time for a scythe to go flying past where her neck had just been, the hand holding it caught in her own. A coordinated spin had the attacker screaming in pain as their shoulder dislocated, and a swift knee to the head dropped them to the ground, out cold, another black box crunching beneath their crumpled form._

_Raelle continued on, passing into another room and taking out another Camarilla fighter holding down a soldier, listening as the screeching steadily decreased until it was almost nonexistent and no longer hurt her ears._

_\--_

_Anacostia tilted her head as she listened to the steady stream of information being fed to her through the link. Numbers, positions, names, everything as they were seeing it. As much as she tried to ignore it, she couldn’t help the racing of her heart when there was still no mention of Ramshorn._

_That girl was going to be the death of her, she was sure of it._

_She gave swift orders as the house came into sight. They were coming in just after the main force, and they were fixers, Anacostia not included. They were not needed in the fight, only afterwards to fix everyone up, though hopefully that wouldn’t be too heavily needed. As the chopper landed, she left them inside, jumping out to give assistance at the house as they gathered their supplies, sheltering until they received the all clear to make their way to the wounded inside._

_She ran around to the back of the house, aiming to trap the Camarilla inside, cutting off any escape, but the sight she was met with would have made her stop in her tracks if she wasn’t so well trained. In front of her, being slammed down on top of the broken back door, was the beaten and battered form of Scylla Ramshorn, and hovering above her was one of the largest men she had ever seen, a scythe in hand, poised for the killing strike._

_Anacostia didn’t even let herself think before she was running full tilt at the two, scourge whipping out to lash itself around the man’s neck before she pulled, yanking him off of the girl before he could do any more damage, if that was even possible, hard enough to send him flying before landing with a thud a good three metres away._

_She skidded to a halt, dropping to her knees beside the broken girl and hovering over her, dropping her scourge beside her as she determined the best course of action. Scylla was a mess of blood and bruises and scrapes, her uniform positively soaked, and from what she could see, Anacostia wasn’t sure if she was even breathing._

_Goddess damn it all, now is not the time for you to give up. Not now. Come on, Ramshorn, fight._

_Taking a quick breath, she moved, pressing two fingers to her neck, checking for a pulse and letting out a sigh of relief when she felt one. It was thready and weak, barely there and definitely not sticking around for long if she didn’t get someone over here soon, but it was there, and that was something she could work with._

_The relief was short-lived though, as the reality of the situation hit her when she heard the near silent, pained whimpers of the necro, protesting against the pressure of her fingers._

_Shit. That wasn’t good. She was barely touching her and yet it appeared to be too much._

_She listened to everything else around her, noting that she didn’t hear anymore of that goddess forsaken screeching, and, hearing the report from the senior witch inside, gave the all clear, calling for a healer to make their way to her position yesterday._

_The sound of a certain knower calling for the last fixer she needed at the moment, or possibly the first, caught her attention, and if she wasn’t so focused on keeping the young witch on the ground alive, she might have been worried about her reaction. Though, if she was being honest with herself, the two were being such absolute idiots about their feelings that maybe, just maybe, this might be enough to get them to finally listen to themselves and each other. Also quit being so distracted whenever the other was mentioned. That would be a plus._

_\--_

_The sound of her name being called drew Raelle’s attention and she made her way to the back of the house._

_When she was faced with the sight she saw upon arriving, she wished for the screeching to return. That pain would be far preferable to the feeling that settled in her stomach and clenched around her heart at the sight of Anacostia kneeling on the ground, a panicked look in her eyes as she hovered over the beaten, bloodied, and broken form of Scylla Ramshorn, speaking quickly to a fixer that was just arriving on the other side of the girl, calling for assistance from one of her colleagues behind her._

_Raelle felt her stomach drop and rushed forward a few steps before being stopped by Tally’s arms around her, holding her, keeping her from getting any closer. She struggled against the taller girl as she was dragged back, Abigail coming to stand in front of her, blocking her view of the terrifying scene as they walked her back into the other room, murmuring words of comfort._

_“Stop! What are you doing?! I have to get to her, I have to help, I have to-” she didn’t realise she was crying until a sob cut her off and she felt herself relaxing back into Tally as she spoke._

_“Rae, there’s already a group working on her, there’s nothing you can do to help. No.” She cut the blonde off as Raelle tried to protest. “There’s nothing. She already has some of the best fixers and you’ll only get in the way.”_

_Raelle was silent, barely listening as she unsuccessfully tried to catch a glimpse of the girl around Abigail’s sturdy form._

_“If you really want to help, Shitbird, heal some of the witches in here, alright? The less energy they have to use on them, the more they can use on Necro.” Abigail was the perfect balance between commanding and soft, knowing that her sister wasn’t thinking right and that she'd only work herself into more of a panic and get in the way if she had nothing else to focus on._

_Abigail caught her eye, making sure that she had heard and listened, waiting for Raelle to indicate her acknowledgement. A firm nod had Tally’s arms releasing their hold and Raelle turned, making her way back to the front of the house where the witch she had first saved was leaned up against the wall. Kneeling next to her and placing a hand on her forehead, Raelle whispered her chant, swiping her thumb over the wound and watching smooth skin replace the gash that was there before, various other bruises vanishing in a similar manner._

_The witch sent her a grateful look and she nodded back, standing to move on to the next witch, keeping her mind off of the scene at the back of the house._

Raelle didn’t even know that she had fallen asleep until she opened her eyes to find things different than before. For one, her boots had been removed, and a jacket had been placed across her lower body. Scylla had been raised further into a reclined sitting position, more pillows piled behind her to keep her upright. 

She didn’t look better, exactly, she was still pale and bruised, her features made sharper in the way that lack of proper nourishment would make them appear. But her grip was stronger, just slightly, and if Raelle didn’t know any better, she’d have thought her to be awake. Unfortunately, the Goddess was not so kind. 

If she was being honest, Raelle wasn’t so sure she even believed in the Goddess, if she believed in anyone. After all, who would be so cruel as to force them to do what they did? To live these lives of pain and suffering and horrible fates? But if there was some entity out there, some Goddess willing to listen and grant her wish, then she was fully prepared to get on her knees and send up endless prayers for her girl. If only they would be heard.

She was startled out of her thoughts by the sound of footsteps and she glanced back slightly to see Anacostia walking toward the bed, a mug in her hand. She came up just past Raelle, setting the cup - tea, she could see - down on the small table just beside it before looking down at Scylla, taking a moment to take her in before reaching out.

Anacostia carefully brushed a stray lock of hair behind Scylla’s ear before gently laying a hand against the girl’s forehead, as though she were checking for a change in temperature, maybe even an opening in her mind to indicate any form of recovery. Raelle would have smiled at the normally stoic drill sergeant’s obvious display of affection for the necro if it weren’t so odd. Last she checked, the two couldn’t stand each other, hell, Anacostia had imprisoned and tortured Scylla for weeks, and yet here she was, taking tender care of the broken woman. Maybe she wasn’t the only one affected by the brunette’s uncanny charm.

Raelle was debating whether or not to make her own consciousness known, since she doubted Anacostia would be so openly caring if she knew she were being watched, when Anacostia broke the silence.

“She works so hard to maintain that mask of hers, to appear so strong, like nothing and no one can hurt her. Continues to fight a war for two sides that send her out every day with no thought of her life, no concern for whether or not she’ll make it back. And when she somehow does, they do the same thing all over again.” Raelle wasn’t sure if she was imagining the hint of resentment in the drill sergeant’s voice, though if she wasn’t, who it was directed at was next on her list of questions.

Anacostia continued, her voice soft, as though she didn’t want anyone else to hear it, as if she didn’t quite realise that she was speaking the words aloud. “She barely lets herself breathe, even when she thinks nobody’s looking, she never lets down her walls, never lets anyone in.” She paused.

“Well, anymore, at least.” She mused quietly. The similarities between these two were telling, drew them together, among other aspects, and some part of her couldn’t help but root for the pair, though she would never tell either of them that.

“Sometimes I wonder why she does it, why she keeps fighting for people who wouldn’t do the same for her. But I think we both know why she does it, hmm?” She moved her attention from Scylla to the girl laying across her legs at that, fixing her with a look that stopped any protest in its path.

Raelle cleared her throat, pushing down the lump that formed at Anacostia’s words. 

“I don’t know what to do. I should hate her, shouldn’t I? I mean, she lied to me, used me. Why am I so willing to look past that?” She glanced up at Anacostia, who had returned her gaze to the necro, as she finished speaking, waiting as she watched the woman consider her words.

“I think you’ve spent enough time punishing her, and yourself, if you ask me. You and I both know you couldn’t stay away from that girl if you wanted to, and from where you are now, the way I see it, you don’t want to. So why are you?” She looked over at Raelle at that, an unreadable expression on her face, though if Raelle had to venture a guess, she’d say it was something along the lines of determined support. Anacostia would be there for her, no matter what she chose, but, really, they both knew what her answer was. It was the same as it had always been when it came to the brunette.

Anacostia gave a slight nod before returning her attention back to the unconscious woman. “As much as I hate the circumstances, it is good to see her getting some rest, to see her at peace for once.” A noncommittal noise made its way from the back of Raelle’s throat and there was a slight uptick at the corner of Anacostia’s mouth in response.

They remained like that, both just watching the shallow breathing of the necro in silence, each contemplating their own dilemmas before Anacostia cleared her throat once more, indicating to the mug she had set on the table earlier.

“She likes tea when she thinks. Izadora says she’d often find her at one of the workstations with a mug, just thinking, after everyone else had left for the night. I think it helps ground her, calm her. Heat it up and have her drink some when she wakes up.”

She looked at Raelle again, that same, almost urging support in her eyes before taking one last glance at Scylla and, with a crisp about face, taking her leave.

_Anacostia kept her voice level as she recounted everything she knew about the situation to the healer kneeling on the other side of Scylla, removing her hands as the older woman took over scanning the necro, trying to catalogue every point of injury and determine their next course of action._

_She was increasingly grateful for her decision to bring along one of the senior fixers on this mission as the woman calmly and efficiently maneuvered around the broken woman on the ground, quickly determining which injuries were the most severe, the ones they would prioritise, and the ones they would have to leave for her to try to heal on her own._

_She was also grateful for Tally Craven and Abigail Bellweather as they dragged Raelle away from the scene, getting her under control and sufficiently distracting her so that she wouldn’t get in the way or worry herself any more than she already was. If she was being honest, the latter was probably more important at the time being._

_Anacostia watched on as the small team of fixers worked on Scylla, trying to spread out their healing as much as possible. She simultaneously listened to the reports being fed to her from inside, both through the link and the occasional witch sent to her with messages. They had rounded up the remaining Camarilla soldiers, as well the unfortunate witch casualties. Only two from the small expedition, but still more than Anacostia would have cared for._

_It was supposed to be a quiet mission._

_Some part of her couldn’t help the guilt she felt at the numbers, just as she did with every report of a witch dead, but just like with the others, she allowed herself barely a moment to feel their loss before pushing it down. She would have time to process later. Now, she was still on a mission, she was still a commanding officer, and she still had witches to look after._

_A larger part of her was grateful that she had gotten to Scylla before she was another one of the dead._

_\--_

_Raelle didn’t know what to do with herself. She had walked through the house healing any witch she had come across, and then she had gone through again, helping to cuff and restrain the unconscious Camarilla fighters, working a minor sleep induction into each to ensure they wouldn’t wake until they were securely locked away in Fort Salem’s dungeons, or wherever it was that they interrogated the Camarilla these days._

_She was tired, and she was worried, and so, after one last glance through the house, she followed after the rest of the witches, making her way through to where Scylla still lay unconscious on the broken mass of wood that was once the back door._

_She looked over at Anacostia, who had her eyes firmly locked on the scene on the ground, before adjusting her focus and watching as the fixers seemed to finish up, murmuring to Anacostia that they’d have to take her back to the infirmary either way, but that this was all they could safely do here in the field._

_Raelle felt a hand on her shoulder and looked back to find Tally behind her once more. Abigail was moving around the pair to help carry Scylla back to the helicopter after they shifted her onto an emergency stretcher. Raelle was incredibly grateful for her sister, knowing that she wouldn’t have been able to at the moment if she wanted to._

_She followed along behind the little procession, climbing in after they had settled the agent on the ground, catching Anacostia’s gaze as she did so. Her former drill sergeant held eye contact for a moment before giving a nod, which Raelle returned, and shifting over to make room for the blonde._

_Anacostia glanced outside, where the rest of the Bellweather unit stood, watching their unit mate, and caught Tally’s attention. She was once again grateful for the knower’s presence when she seemed to immediately understand, nudging at Abigail before heading back to the helicopter they had arrived in, the one that would be transporting the bulk of the Camarilla prisoners._

_As for Anacostia and Raelle, the team of fixers closed the doors behind them, ready for Anacostia to give the orders to take off and get them back to the infirmary where they could take a better look at Scylla and figure out what they could do next for the girl, if anything._

_Raelle didn’t speak the entire time, her eyes locked on a spot just past the necro layed out in front of them as they flew, and she didn’t speak as they landed again, only moving out to follow the group once more._

_She was tired, exhausted really, after the energy expended both in the battle and after, as she distracted herself by healing everyone she could. She wanted to curl up and sleep for days, but she wasn’t going to do that until she knew that Scylla would be okay, that she would wake up._

_Raelle watched as they carefully shifted her limp form from the stretcher to the bed and debated on whether or not to elevate her, only speaking to note that if they thought it would help, they should do it, before returning to her silence._

_She watched as they fussed over Scylla a bit more, situating her so that she wouldn’t hurt herself if she somehow moved, and checked for any change in her condition, before bustling off to tend to other patients._

_She continued to stand there, watching over the brunette, making sure that someone was seeing her, caring about her, until one of the cadets on duty came over with a chair. Raelle sent them a tight lipped smile, barely more than a grimace, before pushing it up right against the bed and finally moving her eyes from the scene to take in the rest of everything around them._

_There she sat next to the injured girl, tucked away in the furthest corner, away from prying eyes, because no matter how many times she risked her life for the cause, she was still technically Spree, and there was still some part of every witch here that would only see her as Spree._

_Raelle once again felt the exhaustion of the day wash over her as she leaned forward to rest her forehead against the starched white sheets of the bed, close enough to feel the slight heat coming from Scylla’s hand, but not touching it. Not yet. She wasn’t quite there yet. For now, she just wanted to be there, to feel her presence, to watch her, because a part of her knew that no one else would, and because a bigger part of her wanted to, needed to, be there for her girl._

When Scylla finally came to, properly this time, it felt just as horrible as she could have imagined. 

Everything still hurt, though admittedly less than her previous stint in the land between waking and unconsciousness, and the searing brightness of the lights seemingly hung right above her was blinding. She groaned as she tried to open her eyes, screwing her face up in an attempt to protect her vision as she gathered information with the rest of her senses.

It was quiet, there was very little activity to be heard, at least from what she could tell, and it seemed to be a slow day wherever she was, though considering how she felt, she could venture a reasonable guess.

It smelled like a mixture of blood and sanitiser, an odd combination to say the least, and it had an aura of death to it, though far from comforting as she normally found it in any other place. Instead, the warm, firm presence of the hand gripping her own had taken over that role, and she subconsciously held it tighter, using it’s familiar presence as an anchor as she tried to gather herself.

It was only when a thumb stroked the back of her hand in an easy, practiced way and a familiar voice murmured a quiet “Hey, beautiful”, that she realised why that presence had felt so intimately familiar, and she stiffened on instinct, her grip going slack as she processed this new information.

There was a moment of uneasy silence before the voice returned with a whispered “ok” and the hand started to retract, pulling away from Scylla’s grasp, and she panicked, her body jumping into overdrive as she tried to get her limbs to cooperate long enough to keep herself from screwing this up.

She grasped the hand tightly in her own, halting its retreat as she cracked open one eye, then two, taking in the slightly blurred form of Raelle Collar as she tried to speak.

“Please don’t leave me.” It was broken, barely audible, painful, and it was obvious that her voice hadn’t been used in a long time, but the small smile that tugged at Raelle’s lips and brightened her eyes made it worth it.

Raelle sat up in the chair that was pushed up against the bed, adjusting her grip on Scylla’s hand and murmuring another “ok”, this time infinitely warmer, as she pressed a soft kiss to the back of it. Scylla couldn’t help but smile at the display.

She tried to sit up a bit, lean forward, get closer to the blonde fixer, but Raelle was quick to reach out, stopping her as she winced at the slight movement. Raelle shook her head in exasperation at Scylla, so quick to go and hurt herself all over again, her movements accompanied by a gentle hand just barely brushing Scylla’s cheek to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, causing a faint blush to rise to the surface as Scylla dropped her head, hoping to hide her reaction from the other girl. 

She still wasn’t sure where they were at. After all, waking up in the hospital to find your not quite, sort of ex girlfriend at your bedside, holding your hand, was neither a very common situation nor a clear indicator for this sort of thing. If she knew one thing though, out of all of this confusion, it was that she wanted it to mean something, to indicate that Raelle might still feel the same way that she felt about her.

She looked back up at Raelle, flushing again at the way that she was looking at her, like she was both thinking of how to say something and yet simultaneously content to sit there in silence until the end of time, just watching, taking each other in, memorising the other forever. Scylla wasn’t sure what to make of it, electing to remain silent and let the other girl decide how she wished to proceed, taking this opportunity to commit as much of Raelle to memory as she could, unsure if she would ever get the chance to again.

It was a peaceful silence, different than the one before, and they stayed in that moment for a bit, silently contemplating the other before Raelle broke, dropping her gaze to her lap, seeming to gather her thoughts before suddenly looking back up, a far more serious look on her face that had Scylla tensing. Instantly, Raelle was giving her hand a reassuring squeeze, a quick smile crossing her features before they returned to their previously sober state.

Raelle took a deep breath and Scylla was quick to jump in, unsure if she wanted to hear where this was going.

“Rae-” 

Raelle stopped her with a quick shake of her head, raising her hand slightly.

“No, Scyl, it’s fine, I just, I need to say something.”

Scylla gulped, eyes wide before nodding at Raelle, settling back against the pillows and indicating for her to continue.

Raelle took another breath before diving into it.

“I know things between us have been rough. We haven’t really seen each other since everything, and that’s mostly on me, but I’m tired of running. I still love you, Scylla.” Scylla couldn’t stop the gasp that escaped her at Raelle’s words. “I don’t know why, but I’ve tried not to and I can’t, because it’s you and I will never not love you. I don’t want to keep going without you, because I’ve tried and it’s not the same, it’s not worth it.” She took a breath, her eyes locked on where their hands were connected as she continued. “I don’t know if you still feel the same way, and I’ll understand if you don’t, but I do. So, if you’ll have me, I’d like to try again. It won’t be the same, we’re not the same people we were before, but I’d like to try. If you still want me.”

She kept her eyes down, not daring to look up for fear of what she might find, but, as per usual, because old habits die hard, she was unable to resist when Scylla squeezed her hand, pulling at it, and when Raelle looked up, she was met with the sight of her girl, tears welling up in her eyes, looking like she was about to start crying at any moment.

She panicked, ready to take it all back right then and there and move on like nothing had ever happened, but then Scylla was lifting their joined hands to her own lips, pressing a soft kiss to Raelle’s knuckles, and she felt that fear slowly start to drift away.

“Scyl?” She’s quiet again, minus the occasional sniffle, and Raelle’s starting to get worried, pressing her to see if she’s alright, when the brunette nods slightly, a trembling smile spreading across her face as she speaks, her voice breaking on every other word.

“I never thought I’d ever be able to call you mine or tell you that I loved you again.” Her words were accompanied with small, gasping breaths and Raelle let a grin break out across her face as she leaned up, wiping away Scylla’s tears as she let out a watery laugh at it all. Scylla had nearly died barely a couple of days before, and yet here they were expressing their love for each other. Later on, when she wasn’t so incredibly overwhelmed, Scylla would muse over how incredibly ridiculous it all was, but for the moment she let herself cry, let Raelle wipe away her tears and take care of her, pressing chaste kisses to reddened cheeks as they basked in the moment.

After she had calmed down, Raelle let go of her hand, reaching for the mug of tea on the side table and heating it up with a quick seed, chuckling at the whine that left Scylla’s lips at the loss of contact.

She grinned the charming grin that had made Scylla fall for her the first time around as she worked, turning and situating herself to help the brunette drink a bit.

“Anacostia brought it for you.” She laughed at the look of surprise on Scylla’s face, helping her take another sip before continuing.

“Yeah, I was surprised too. She said it helps you think. If you ask me, I think she just wanted an excuse to come and see you.”

Scylla smirked, joining in on the teasing. “A reason to justify her visit?”

Raelle hummed an affirmative, nodding when Scylla accepted another few sips, before glancing around and leaning in, speaking in a conspiratorial whisper.

“Don’t tell her I told you this, but I think she actually likes you.”

Scylla let out a proper laugh at that, needing a minute before she could continue. “Oh yes, definitely. I knew I would wear her down with my charm.” She flashed a coy smile and winked at Raelle, who grinned, lifting the almost empty mug of tea in response.

“Definitely gave off the impression of it.” She hesitated before continuing on with her train of thought, taking a more serious turn. “She seemed worried. We both were.” Raelle paused again, remembering her earlier conversation with the drill sergeant.

Scylla reached up, brushing her fingers along Raelle’s jaw, a questioning look on her face as Raelle returned her attention to the other woman and smiled, shrugging off her concerns. Her smile widened when Scylla tried unsuccessfully to suppress the yawn that rose up suddenly.

“It’s no matter now. Fixers claim they’ve done everything they can. There’s nothing more they can do really, you mainly just need more rest at this point.” She waved off Scylla’s protests, fixing her with a stern look when she tried to sit up again, and Scylla ducked her head, cheeks flushed as she let Raelle help move her, adjusting the pillows so that she could lean further back and pulling the blanket up to ward off any chill.

“What if this isn’t real? What if I wake up and this was all just some sleep-induced hallucination?” She wasn’t prepared for the pain the thought brought her, and her voice sounded unrecognisably small as she heard the words leave her mouth.

Raelle leaned down to press a lingering kiss to forehead, and Scylla moved her arm out to grab at Raelle’s hand, keeping her close.

“It’s all real, I promise. This is real. I’m real. We’re real.” She brought her hand up to cup Scylla’s face, letting her fingers graze her cheek as she spoke.

“Stay?” It was quiet and broken, and Raelle wasn’t entirely sure if she heard it at first, but taking in the hopeful look in Scylla’s eyes, she acquiesced.

Raelle’s eyes turned infinitely soft at the request, and at her nod, Scylla broke into a wide smile, shifting over as much as she could to make room for Raelle, who once again did not appreciate the way that Scylla winced at her sudden movements. Raelle slid into the small, regulation bed, slipping under the covers and lifting Scylla slightly so that she was cushioned against her body, where she held her close and tight, pressing a kiss to her hair as the brunette snuggled ever so carefully closer, pushing back against the blonde, yawning again and fighting to keep her eyes open.

“Sleep, beautiful. I’ll be here when you wake up.” She pressed her face into Scylla’s hair, breathing the scent of the girl that she had missed for so long, grateful to have her back in her arms.

Scylla nestled into Raelle, nuzzling into her neck, as she let sleep close in, before breathing out a broken plea in a heartbreakingly soft voice. “Promise?”

Raelle’s heart ached at the sound of the usually confident girl so unsure, so hesitant, because of her, and she vowed to never be the reason for that fear in the other girl again. 

“Promise.”

Nodding against Scylla’s head, she spoke for the last time, a quiet confirmation to lull the pair to sleep, as Raelle watched over Scylla, clutching her to her chest as her breathing evened out. They weren’t perfect, and they still had plenty to work through, but they were at peace and they were content, and that was enough for now. That would always be enough.

And if Anacostia properly smiled at the sight of them when she returned later to find the pair snuggled close together in the tiny, regulation bed, Scylla cushioned against Raelle’s chest, Raelle holding her tightly around the waist, her face buried in dark hair, well, they didn’t have to know that.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Let me know what you think or if there's anything you might want in the future! I've got a few ideas, but I'm not really sure on what to write next and am always here for ideas or constructive commentary. (Or if you just want to come and yell and sound off in the comments, that works too. If it's there, I'll smile, I can guarantee you that.) (As you can tell, dialogue is not my strong point, lmao, but we're working on it.)
> 
> If you did end up liking it, you can thank [Elybell](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elybell/pseuds/Elybell)for pushing me to write. Like I said, it's been a while, so it's pretty impressive that she managed it lol. Please go check out her work, especially [She moved through the fair](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25314034/chapters/61373644). I may not have really shown it here, but I actually relate quite a bit to Scylla and have done a fair amount of analysis on her, which you can see in the comment section of that fic. But seriously, she's brilliant, please go give her some love.
> 
> My tumblr is the same username if you want to come yell at me there as well. 
> 
> Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read this, it means a lot and I really, really appreciate it. Thank you and have a wonderful Samhain!
> 
> As I said before, Samhain is a time to remember the past and look towards the future with hope, and I like to think this captures that energy. I hope it felt the same for you.
> 
> :)


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